"We're Here to Put the Race Back in Racing" — Ambrose Lays Out His Vision for AASA

Marcos Ambrose has made two things clear since joining AASA: he knows exactly what's wrong with Australian club racing, and he intends to fix it.

The problems aren't unique to AASA. Across the country, organisers battle falling grids, aging competitor bases, and rising costs that price talented young drivers out before they ever get started. The response from most sanctioning bodies has been gradual change at best. Ambrose is not interested in gradual.

"AASA is fully committed to making racing more affordable, more rewarding and more meaningful for both local racers and national stars," he said. "Our competitors and officials make a massive effort and commitment to go racing and we want to ensure we reward that."

The Ambrose philosophy has three pillars. First: remove bureaucratic friction. Rules that exist for their own sake — like time-certain races and standing starts — are being swept away. Second: increase track time and racing laps. Every dollar a competitor spends on a race weekend should translate to more time on track, more battles, more experience. Third: broadcast and visibility. "AASA is here to put the 'race' back in racing or the 'sport' back in motorsport."

The ADC is a natural flagship for this vision. It already does most of these things well — affordable cars, spec racing, televised rounds on SBS, Fox Sports and Kayo, and a community of competitors genuinely invested in the series. With Ambrose's support and AASA's expanded platform, the runway for growth is significant.

AASA CEO Stephen Whyte summed it up simply: "Ultimately, the winners will be our partners, customers and the fans."